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Synonyms

small-time

1 American  
[smawl-tahym] / ˈsmɔlˈtaɪm /

adjective

  1. of modest or insignificant size, importance, or influence.

    a small-time politician.
small time 2 American  

noun

  1. a circuit of minor theaters giving three or more shows daily.

small-time British  

adjective

  1. informal  insignificant; minor

    a small-time criminal
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
small time Idioms  

  1. A modest or minor level of achievement, as in Her success took her out of the small time to prime-time television. This expression was originally used in vaudeville for second-rate theaters and productions. [Early 1900s] Also see big time, def. 2.

Other Word Forms

  • small-timer noun

Etymology

Origin of small-time1

First recorded in 1910–15

Origin of small time1

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The challenge is tied to the interval between computational steps: to capture rapid events such as supernova evolution, the simulation must advance in very small time increments.

From Science Daily

Trundling up an ungainly lift to reach a second-story balcony seems like Woody Allen’s hapless bank robber trying to tunnel his way into vaults in “Small Time Crooks.”

From The Wall Street Journal

But for this story, we had to be very strict because it’s very small time.

From Salon

"Miss Mone is not a successful entrepreneur, she is a small time businesswoman with a PR exposure far in excess of any actual success," he wrote.

From BBC

"Our research underscores the importance of maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, particularly in our fast-paced world in which long trips and shift work are ever so common. Even a small time shift can impact many aspects of metabolism, but it now seems that metabolic consequences of jetlag recover far more quickly than impairment of sleep and alertness. Understanding the impact of circadian rhythms on our health can help us make informed choices about our lifestyle. By optimising our sleep and eating patterns, we can improve our overall wellbeing."

From Science Daily

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.